German validation of the Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS) II: Reliability, validity, diagnostic sensitivity and specificity

• Published in: European psychiatry Vol. 27; no. 5; pp. 321 - 328
• Main Authors: Christiansen, H., Kis, B., Hirsch, O., Matthies, S., Hebebrand, J., Uekermann, J., Abdel-Hamid, M., Kraemer, M., Wiltfang, J., Graf, E., Colla, M., Sobanski, E., Alm, B., Rösler, M., Jacob, C., Jans, T., Huss, M., Schimmelmann, B.G., Philipsen, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Paris Elsevier SAS 01.07.2012; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Adult ADHD; Adult ADHD assessment; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - diagnosis; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - psychology; Attention deficit disorders. Hyperactivity; Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; Biological and medical sciences; Child clinical studies; Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS); Cross-Sectional Studies; Diagnostic issues; Diagnostic Self Evaluation; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Female; Humans; Internal Medicine; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Europe; Germany; ADHD; CP/TRS; Adult ADHD assessment; DSM-IV; ICD-10; Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS); CAARS; Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; ASRS; ADHD-DC; ADHD-SR; Adult ADHD; WURS/WURS-K; Diagnostic issues; WHO; German ADHD Self-Rating Scale; World Health Organization; Wender Utah Rating Scale/German short version; Conners Parent/Teacher Rating Scale; International Classification of Diseases, 10th version; German ADHD Observer-Rating Scale; Adult Self-Report Scale; Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scales; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association, 4th version; Human; Evaluation; German; Sensitivity; Specificity; Adult; Attention disorder with hyperactivity; Diagnosis; Rating Scale Conners
• ISSN: 0924-9338; 1778-3585; 1778-3585
• DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpsy.2010.12.010

The German version of the Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS) has proven to show very high model fit in confirmative factor analyses with the established factors inattention/memory problems, hyperactivity/restlessness, impulsivity/emotional lability, and problems with self-concept in both large healthy control and ADHD patient samples. This study now presents data on the psychometric properties of the German CAARS-self-report (CAARS-S) and observer-report (CAARS-O) questionnaires. CAARS-S/O and questions on sociodemographic variables were filled out by 466 patients with ADHD, 847 healthy control subjects that already participated in two prior studies, and a total of 896 observer data sets were available. Cronbach's-alpha was calculated to obtain internal reliability coefficients. Pearson correlations were performed to assess test-retest reliability, and concurrent, criterion, and discriminant validity. Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC-analyses) were used to establish sensitivity and specificity for all subscales. Coefficient alphas ranged from .74 to .95, and test-retest reliability from .85 to .92 for the CAARS-S, and from .65 to .85 for the CAARS-O. All CAARS subscales, except problems with self-concept correlated significantly with the Barrett Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), but not with the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS). Criterion validity was established with ADHD subtype and diagnosis based on DSM-IV criteria. Sensitivity and specificity were high for all four subscales. The reported results confirm our previous study and show that the German CAARS-S/O do indeed represent a reliable and cross-culturally valid measure of current ADHD symptoms in adults.